In order to be eligible to receive funding pursuant to this article, a school district shall provide all of the following:

(a) An amount equal to a 100-percent match of all funds received pursuant to this article in the form of direct and in-kind support provided by the district.

(b) An amount equal to a 100-percent match of all funds received pursuant to this article in the form of direct and in-kind support provided by participating companies or other private sector organizations.

(c) An assurance that state funds provided by the partnership academies program shall be used only for the development, operation, and support of partnership academies.

(d) An assurance that each academy will be established as a “school within a school.” Academy teachers shall work as a team in planning, teaching, and troubleshooting program activities. Classes in the academy program shall be limited to academy pupils as specified in subdivision (e). Each participating school district shall establish an advisory committee consisting of individuals involved in academy operations, including school district and school administrators, lead teachers, and representatives of the private sector.

(e) Assurance that each academy pupil will be provided with the following:

(1) Instruction in at least three academic subjects each regular school term that prepares the pupil for a regular high school diploma, and, where possible and appropriate, to meet the subject requirements for admission to the California State University and the University of California. These subjects should contribute to an understanding of the occupational field of the academy.

(2) Career technical education or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses offered at each grade level at the academy that are part of an occupational course sequence that targets comprehensive skills and that does the following:

(A) Provides career technical education or STEM courses in high skill occupations of regional and local economic need.

(B) Focuses on occupations requiring comprehensive skills leading to higher than entry-level wages, or the possibility of significant wage increases after a few years on the job, or both.

(C) Provides a sequence of courses that build upon each other in knowledge, skill development, and experience, and ends in a capstone course that includes an internship component.

(D) Prepares pupils for employment and postsecondary education. Sequenced courses shall be linked to certificate and degree programs in the region, where possible.

(E) Whenever possible, prepares pupils for industry-recognized certifications.

(F) Whenever possible and appropriate, offers career technical education or STEM courses that also meet the subject requirements for admission to the California State University and the University of California.

(3) A class schedule that limits the attendance to the classes required in paragraphs (1) and (2) to pupils of the academy. Whenever possible, these classes should be block scheduled in a cluster to provide flexibility to academy teachers. During the 12th grade the number of academic classes may vary.

(4) A mentor from the business community during the pupil’s 11th grade year.

(5) An employer-based internship or work experience that occurs in the summer following the 11th grade or during 12th grade year.

(6) Additional motivational activities with private sector involvement to encourage academic and occupational preparation.

(f) Assurance that academy teachers have a common planning period to interchange pupil and educational information. A second planning period should be provided for the lead teacher in addition to the normal planning period for full-time teachers and be supported as a part of the school district’s matching funds, whenever practical.

(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 131, Sec. 43. (AB 1754) Effective January 1, 2024.)